English Prepositions
Mr. Truong Van Anh
HUFLIT

A

One-word prepositions
aboard
We climbed aboard the boat.
Is there a doctor aboard the plane?
about
What do you think about Mary?
Let's talk about something different.
I've just read a book about President Putin.
The lion was pacing about its cage.
above
We are flying above the clouds.
We live in the hills, 1,000 metres above sea-level.
It's only two degrees above freezing point. [+2ºC]
Who came above you in the test results?

across
We drove across the desert.
The dog ran across the road.
There is a bridge across the river.
She lives in the house across the street. It's nearly
opposite mine.
after (also conjunction)
We had lunch [1pm] after the meeting [11am].
Let's meet the day after tomorrow.
against
Did you vote for or against the suggestion?
He put his bicycle against the wall.

along
We walked along the beach for two miles.
There are trees along the road.
The toilet is along the corridor.
alongside
Their boat came alongside our boat.
Team A worked alongside Team B during construction.
amid | amidst (poetic)
I couldn't hear her amid the noise.
We were lost amidst the trees.
among | amongst (mainly British English)
Is there a doctor among us?
There were secret police among the crowd.
I was amongst strangers. I didn't know anyone.

anti
He seems to be anti my idea.
Some people are anti everything.
around
We walked around the town for an hour.
They all sat around the camp fire.
There is a big fence around the house.
He was born around 1570.
Let's meet around 7pm.
as (also conjunction)
He is working as a waiter.
The risk is as nothing compared to the profit.
Ram is as tall as Anthony.

astride
She sat astride the horse.
at
He is at school.
We first met at a party.
Let's start the meeting at 9 o'clock.
He started work at 17 (years of age).
We are aiming at sales of $1,000,000.
atop (poetic)
The church is situated atop a hill.

Complex prepositions
according to
According to John, Mary was late. I believe John.
ahead of
Anthony is ahead of Rachel in the race. He'll win.
We have a long day ahead of us. Let's get going!
à la (from French)
It's a TV show à la CNN. Same style, similar content.
along with
Do you want some pork along with the chicken?
apart from
Nobody objected apart from you, so we did it.

as for
As for Matt, he will arrive later.
aside from
I have another car aside from this one. Both are red.
as per
We must work strictly as per the law.
as to
As to your behaviour, I think you were wrong.
as well as
You should telephone as well as write, just to be sure.
away from
The cat ran away from the dog and escaped.

B

One-word prepositions
bar
Everyone came bar Angela.
He is the best bar none.
barring
Barring rain, we'll play tennis tomorrow.
before (also conjunction)
We had lunch [1pm] before the meeting [3pm].
We met the day before yesterday.
She was before me in the queue.
I would rather die before doing that.

behind
There is a police car behind us. It's following us.
We have a garden behind our house.
The child was hiding behind the tree.
I am behind your project. I will support it.
Vonica finished behind Shirley in the race.
She is behind the other children in her class.
below
Much of Holland is below sea-level.
There is a family in the flat below us.
The temperature is 5 degrees below freezing point. [5ºC]
I came below Vonica in the test.
You can buy it if it's below $50.

beneath
Our garage is beneath our house.
The tunnel runs beneath the sea.
Laurence is beneath the General Manager.
It was beneath his dignity to do that.
beside
The river runs beside our house.
James was sitting beside Miriam.
besides
What shall we have besides coffee?
between
Tara was sitting between Ram and Ati.
Between you and me, I think she's crazy.
I can meet you between 1pm and 2pm.

beyond
Can you see someone in the distance, beyond that house?
This is too difficult. It's beyond me.
The meeting continued beyond midnight.
but (also conjunction)
Everyone came but Andrea.
by
We came by car.
Fireworks were invented by the Chinese.
He was shot by a professional killer.
It happened by accident.
He lost the race by five seconds.
The room is 10 metres by 6 metres.
We must finish by Tuesday.
We were sitting by the window.
By my calculation he must be 73.

Complex prepositions
because of
We can't play tennis because of the rain.
but for
It's your fault! But for you, I'd have been on time.
by means of
You open a door by means of its handle.

C

One-word prepositions
circa
He died circa 1270.
concerning
Your teacher talked to me concerning your homework.
I have some questions concerning your decision.
considering
Considering the poor quality, I think the price is too high.
I think I must be going, considering the time.
counting
There were four people, or five counting the baby.
That makes $70, not counting the tax.

cum
I have a study-cum-bedroom.
She is a kind of secretary-cum-receptionist.
Complex prepositions
close to
My car is close to your car. About two cars away.
contrary to
Contrary to expectations, the euro fell in value.

D

One-word prepositions
despite
We went swimming despite the cold water.
He passed the test despite being ill.
down
They ran down the hill.
The post office is down the road.
They have had many wars down the years.
during
He fell asleep during the meeting.
I want to go swimming during the weekend.
I was bored during the whole film.

Complex prepositions
depending on
We'll play tennis tomorrow, depending on the
rain.
due to
The cancellation was due to the rain. There was
no other reason.

E

One-word prepositions
except
You can have any colour except blue. There is no more
blue.
They all came except Stephen. He didn't want to come.
excepting
I can eat anything excepting pork. It makes me sick.
Excepting Jo, everyone was present. No-one knew where
Jo was.
excluding
It costs $70, excluding $10 for delivery. (Total = $80.)
We open every day excluding Christmas Day. On
Christmas Day we have a holiday.

Complex prepositions
except for
Everyone was present, except for Mary. She
stayed at home.

F

One-word prepositions
following
We had coffee following lunch.
He couldn't work following his illness.
for (also conjunction)
This is for you.
Do you want to go for a walk?
You use a corkscrew for opening bottles.
Cigarettes are bad for you.
I'm saving for a new car.
Is this the road for Rome?
They passed me over for John.
Is this the train for Cambridge?
I bought it for $10.
We worked for three hours.
Keep walking for two kilometres.

from
Where do you come from?
This letter is from my wife.
I bought this car from Henry.
They prevented me from entering.
My car is different from yours.
We worked from Monday to Wednesday.
Paper is made from wood.
It can cost anything from $5 to $15.
The police took my driving licence from me.
He died from overwork.
Complex prepositions
forward of
He was sitting forward of me in the plane. I could just see the back
of his head.
further to
Further to your letter, I have spoken to Mr Brown.

G

One-word prepositions
Given (So với, đến lúc)
He is in very good health, given his age. He's at least 95.
Given the time, you ought to leave now.
gone (mainly British English) (Đã)
It's certainly gone 11 o'clock. It must be 11.30.
He's gone 50. He must be nearly 60 years old.

I

One-word prepositions
in
Monkeys live in the jungle.
John is the man with his hand in his pocket.
I live in an apartment.
She lives in Bangkok.
Tara was born in 1977.
Trains were invented in the nineteenth century.
I'll come back in two weeks.
Let's meet in the morning.
There are 60 seconds in a minute.
including
The price is $70 including $10 for delivery. (Total = $70.)
There were four of us, including the baby.

inside
It was dark inside the tunnel.
My modem is inside my computer. It's an internal modem.
into
John went into that shop.
If you heat ice it turns into water.
We cut the cake into ten pieces.
Five into ten makes two.
Complex prepositions
in addition to
There were two people in addition to me. So that made three of
us.
in between
He is in between the two opinions. He wants to compromise.

in case of
You can phone me in case of need. Day or night.
in face of
He reacts bravely in face of danger.
in favour of
I am not in favour of your idea. It won't work.
in front of
You can park your car in front of my house.
I couldn't see the film because the woman in front of me
was wearing a big hat.
in lieu of
I don't have any dollars. Can I pay euro in lieu of dollars?

in spite of
We went swimming in spite of the cold water.
instead of
We don't have any tea. Would you like coffee
instead of tea?
in view of (theo, vì)
In view of your illness, we will wait for a week.

L

One-word prepositions
less
10 less 3 = 7.
like
She is like her sister.
She sings like a bird.
It's not like John to complain.
Do it like this.
I feel like swimming.
It looks like rain.
I want something cold, like iced-coffee.

M

One-word prepositions
minus
10 minus 3 = 7.
The temperature is minus 30 degrees centigrade.

N

One-word prepositions
near
The school is near the post office.
It's 20 December. We are very near Christmas Day.
notwithstanding
Notwithstanding the low price, I don't want it.
They went swimming, notwithstanding the rain.
They went swimming, the rain notwithstanding.
Complex prepositions
near to
There is a restaurant near to my office. Just two minutes away.
next to
The school is next to the bank. Between the hotel and the bank.

O

One-word prepositions
of
I live in the house at the end of the road.
Do you like the work of Shakespeare?
What was the cost of this book?
He lives in the City of Westminster.
It was kind of you to help me.
This is the cause of the problem.
He died of cancer.
Most tables are made of wood.
Can I have a cup of coffee?
I know some of these people.
I don't know any of these people.
He lives south of London.
He lives in the south of London.

off
Please take your shoes off the table.
Keep off the grass.
It fell off the table and broke.
They live in a street off Fifth Avenue.
on
Please don't put your shoes on the table.
The picture is on page 7.
We live on a busy road. It's very noisy.
She is sunbathing on the beach.
Is there water on the Moon?
I need a book on bio-chemistry.
My birthday is on Monday.
I start work on 7 May.
Let's meet on the weekend. (American English)
I'll see you on Christmas Day.
You must be on time.
He broke his leg on getting out of the car.

onto (mainly American English) see on to
The cat jumped onto the chair.
The police are onto us. (slang)
opposite
There is a post office opposite my house.
She sat opposite him and looked into his eyes.
outside
I don't live in London. I live outside London.
It was very cold outside the car.
This is outside my scope.

over
We are flying over the mountains.
Put the blanket over the bed.
The cat jumped over the wall.
Let's discuss it over dinner.
The king ruled over the country for many years.
The town is just over the border.
It cost over $50. It was $53.25.
There is rain over the whole country.
It took over an hour to do my homework.
The population has increased over the past twenty
years.
Can you stay with us over Christmas?

Complex prepositions
on account of
Don't worry on account of me. Think about yourself.
on behalf of
I'm calling you on behalf of Mr Brown. I represent him in
legal matters.
on board
Is there a doctor on board this plane?
on to (mainly British English) see onto
The cat jumped on to the chair.
on top of
The cat is sitting on top of the television.

opposite to
There is a tree opposite to the house. Straight across the
road.
other than
Sorry, we're out of whisky. But we have every drink other
than whisky.
out of
Take your hands out of your pockets and help me!
He went out of the room to smoke a cigarette.
We're out of eggs. Shall I buy some?
outside of
They stopped outside of the city to check the map before
entering.
owing to
We didn't go swimming, owing to the cold weather.

P

One-word prepositions
past
I saw you yesterday when we drove past your school.
The post office is just past the police station.
Don't work past your bed-time.
This is difficult. It's past me.
It's nearly ten minutes past five. 5.09 to be precise.
pending (chờ, trong lúc chờ)
We cannot supply you pending payment.
Pending his return, we can do nothing.
There were many arguments pending the negotiations.

per
The speed limit is 70 miles per hour.
The carpet costs $10 per square metre.
plus
2 plus 2 = 4.
There will be three of us, plus the baby. So that's four in total.
pro
Are you pro capital punishment or against it?
He is very modern. He is generally pro new ideas.
Complex prepositions
preparatory to
I made a graph preparatory to the meeting, so everything was
ready.
prior to
I never spoke French prior to living in France. But I learned quickly
after coming to France.

R

One-word prepositions
re
Re: your letter dated 21 May
I want to talk you re the proposed meeting.
regarding
I would like to speak to you regarding my homework.
Regarding John, let's talk later.
respecting
I would like to speak to you respecting my homework.
I am writing to you respecting our latest products.
round
I live round the corner.
They all sat round the fire.
There is a hedge round the house.
Complex prepositions
regardless of
I don't want it, regardless of the price. Even if it's free, I just don't
want it.

S

One-word prepositions
save (formal)
All save Mrs Jones were present.
saving (formal)
Saving yourself, nobody thanked me.
since (also conjunction)
I haven't seen Josef since Monday.
Mr Brown has worked in a bank since 1985.
Complex prepositions
save for
Everyone came, save for Lek who had to work.

T

One-word prepositions
than (also conjunction)
He is a writer than whom there is no finer.
Your car is bigger than my car.
through (also thru - American English)
The train goes through a tunnel.
I can see light through the keyhole.
You have been through a difficult experience.
You went thru a red light.
The error occurred through my own stupidity.
They worked Monday through Thursday. (American
English)

throughout
It is raining throughout the whole country.
He worked throughout the day, and most of the night.
till (also conjunction)
I work from 9am till 5pm.
Please wait till I come.
to
Could you give this to Kob?
My car does 10 miles to the litre.
To his surprise, the door was open.
The museum is open from Monday to Friday.
The time is ten to five. [4.50]

touching
Touching your homework, I think we need to speak.
towards (mainly British
English), toward (mainly American English)
He drove off toward(s) the mountain.
I'd better go. It's getting toward(s) midnight.
He contributed $100,000 toward(s) the new building.
It's the first step toward(s) peace.
He has a positive attitude toward(s) his work.
Complex prepositions
thanks to
Thanks to Shirley, we arrived on time.
together with
I'd like chicken please, together with vegetables.

U

One-word prepositions
under
The mouse ran under the chair.
The bucket is under the sink.
Submarines can travel under water.
We drove under a bridge.
I have a T-shirt under my pullover.
Who do you work under? Who is your boss?
I am under orders from the President.
What is the subject under discussion?
Under the company rules, we can't do that.
Please buy it if it's under $50.
underneath
The nurse put a pillow underneath his head.
There is a big cellar underneath our house.

unlike
That's very unusual. It's unlike Andrea to be so
rude.
This problem is unlike any we have met before.
until (formal; also conjunction)
They continued the meeting until 11pm.
Please wait until I come.
up
Jack and Jill ran up the hill.
There is a post office up the street.

upon (formal)
Please don't put your shoes upon the table.
There are now no dinosaurs upon Earth.
I need a book upon bio-chemistry.
We met upon a Monday.
He broke his leg upon getting out of the car.
Complex prepositions
up against
We are up against a powerful enemy.
up to
There was a shop here up to 1990. But it closed that
year.
up until
We worked up until they came. Then we stopped.

V

One-word prepositions
versus
He was the judge in the case of Gore versus Bush.
We should choose peace versus war.
via
We flew from Paris to Bangkok via Dubai.
Complex prepositions
vis-à-vis (from French)
I prefer Jaguar cars vis-à-vis BMW cars.
I need to speak to you vis-à-vis your homework.

W

One-word prepositions
with
Do you live with your parents?
He's been with EnglishClub.com for two years.
I discussed it with her.
With your permission, I'd like to go.
If you mix red with yellow you get orange.
Muriel is the girl with black hair.
Do you want to come with us?
I made this chair with my own hands.
You'll forget her with time.
within
There is a modem within the computer.
I will finish within 30 minutes.
He lives within 10 miles of his work.
It's not within my power to help you.

without
I want trousers without buttons.
I came without my wife because she is working.
He watched without speaking.
worth
This car is worth $10,000.
Complex prepositions
with reference to
With reference to your comments, I'll reply soon.
I am writing with reference to your order.
with regard to
I'd like to speak to you with regard to your work.

Good luck!